"We had three homeless individuals who were intoxicated sitting at a bus bench," Fernandez said. "They had a verbal dispute with other subjects. We don't know how many."

The argument escalated into a fight Friday, resulting in the man's stabbing near a bus bench along Hollywood's Federal Highway, Fernandez said. It was unclear Saturday what sparked the argument, Fernandez said.

Sean Cononie, who runs the Homeless Voice shelter at 1203 N. Federal Highway, said the man collapsed outside the shelter at about 11:20 p.m.

Shorkey was given CPR and taken to the hospital by Hollywood paramedics.

"I turned him over," Cononie said. "He had a knife wound on the left side of his chest."

Shorkey died at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood.

"I thought he was going to make it," Cononie said. "It looked like he had one laceration on his chest, but I guess it went to his heart."

Shorkey was sitting on a bus bench in front of Lee's Bicycle Shop at 1101 N. Federal Highway when he was attacked, Fernandez said.

The death is Hollywood's 15th homicide this year, Fernandez said. That number excludes two killings that were ruled to have been cases of self-defense, he said, adding that, last year, Hollywood had seven homicides.

Last week, the chief assured commissioners that detectives were working around the clock to tackle crime in Hollywood. "We are looking for trends and patterns and are increasing our patrols," Fernandez told the commission. "I share your concern. I want you to know we are on top of the issue."

On Saturday, Hollywood Commissioner Peter Hernandez said the chief called to brief him on the latest homicide. Hernandez said the chief told him several of the men involved appeared to be drunk.

"One pulled a knife and stabbed the other guy in the chest," Hernandez said. "Another fell and hit his head. The man who was stabbed was alive when they transported him, and he died at Hollywood Memorial."

If the suspect was homeless at the time of the attack, the slaying would not be classified as a hate crime under state law, Cononie said.

"It's important to find out the motive and whether it was a hate crime," Cononie said. "But there's a lot of conflict on the street. It wasn't necessarily a hate crime."